P.S it's you as a chicken

musings, notes, punk rock.

[heff88]

20 albums and 1 EP: my 2017 in music.

Hello all and welcome to my favourite records of 2017!

2017 has been quite a year for many reasons and musically is no different, as this has been one of the strongest years for new music in some time (which may or may not have to do with the current president in the white house and for one of these at least, Brexit). It has been a particularly great year for female voices in music - just under half the acts here are, or include, women or at least are female fronted, with Björk surely to join them - and I'm not sure there has been a time where women have been so well promoted. It is a stupid thing to have to say of course, but it is at least encouraging that change is happening in a positive way. It is also encouraging given the latter half of the year socio-politically has largely been concerned with how much assault and sexism women have to put up with in a very public but important manner (although again, this doesn't seem to be deterring the president, yet anyway.)

This year, I have chosen 20 (and 1 EP because I like to cheat) albums to feature, something I don't think I've been able to do before. This probably has much to do with this being my first full year as a (semi)-professional journalist, something I feel I really marked properly this time last year when I was sent to Prague to interview The Lumineers, which was a fairly mad-yet-incredible experience. However, it's not like I wasn't paying attention before, and I have made a playlist including 50 different records from 2017 I have enjoyed in some capacity and a more concise one for this list.

Since that Lumineers interview, I've had the opportunity to cover from great events and records in 2017, as well as meet a whole load of very welcoming and great people to whom I must say thanks (especially as today is Thanksgiving). To Derek of Drowned in Sound, Tallah from The Skinny, Caitlin from Uproxx and many others, thank you for your continued support and friendship, I couldn't have done it without any of you. In 2017 I got to:

Cover the BBC6 Music Festival in Glasgow, which was a really rather special weekend in my spiritual home. Interview some really excellent people, including: Jeremy Bolm, Touche Amore Angus Andrew, Liars Barry Burns, Mogwai Alex Cameron And finally, Joe Casey of Protomartyr (twice) which was by far the most difficult one, but ended up being pretty great.

I also got to keep travelling in the name of music journalism (what a trip!) by covering Mikkeller and The National's inaugural HAVEN Festival in Copenhagen (a city long overdue a visit - I loved it!) and got to see Iggy Pop be the absolute boss-man, and drink SO. MUCH. GREAT. BEER.

And even more crazily, I got sent out to CALGARY, ALBERTA CANADA to cover Sled Island. There I got to see the likes of Low, Mono and Waxahatchee play in a church, Converge play in a weird British Union Vets centre, Wolves in the Throne Room and Daughters in a dive bar and I got to see The Rolling Stones' mobile studio (which my parents visited just before I was born.) It was an amazing week I will never forget, full of incredible music and new friends, and while I didn't find Bret Hart I did get to tour the city's rather amazing beer scene, which I'm still in disbelief about, to be honest.

I also got to see and have many special live experiences this year less further afield, such as The XX's triumphant show outside SWG3, Glasgow, getting to see City of Caterpillar (!) after all these years in Berlin, Julien Baker play one of my all-time favourite songs, St. Vincent transcend mere mortal status, Mogwai play in a famous Berlin gay club for TV and Thee Oh Sees play in a tiny, cramped basement this summer.  

And finally, I RELEASED MY OWN ACTUAL, PHYSICAL ALBUM THIS YEAR!!! It was tough and stressful at times, but I am immensely proud of it and owe so much to my boys Kenni and Joe Campbell who make up FRAUEN, as well as the people around us who supported it, including Lewis Glass, Gary Taylor, Kyle Wood, Sean Campbell, Louise Grace Kenny (& Owen) my wonderful partner Ann-Christin Heinrich, and everyone who put on shows and came out to see us in our favourite haunts of Glasgow, Manchester, London, Brighton, Leeds and Newcastle (to name a few!) put us up for the night, drove us, bought a record, said a nice thing and generally were awesome.

So, onto the list. As a result of my year, I've decided to order this in release order rather than ranking, although I will point out the top five. A quick glance at this suggests that September was an absolutely ridiculous month (it was) and no I didn't forget LCD Soundsystem, whereas I have nothing in May (Do Make Say Think and Slowdive were... fine but nothing special.) I am currently catching up on stuff I missed as I am writing this, so to Julie Byrne, Aldous Harding, Kelly Lee Owens, SZA, Big Thief, Idles, Sampha, Jlin, Jay Som, Lorde, Vince Staples and as mentioned, Björk you could all find yourself making up your own list in a month's time.

A glaring but now expected omission is Science Fiction by Brand New, which up until a couple weeks ago I ranked as one of my top three records of the year. While of course, everyone should be wary of what we read online, Jesse Lacey's frankly embarrassing and vague response to the matter has, quite likely, put a disastrous end to a previously remarkable and canonised career which was setting itself up for a glorious and perfect ending in 2018. Now, it's very difficult to separate the art from the idea that this is an unsavoury at best, psychopathic at worst, white male who took advantage of his status and the surrounding scene towards young girls and called it a "sex addiction" which is highly troubling. Even his movements towards a "perfect end" to the band now feels slightly chilling, and at the time of writing, it seems as though he will (rightfully) not be rewarded with that. What a horrible turn of events for an artist and a band who have meant so much to so many people for well over a decade, the one band many have kept with them since their adolescence only for it all to go up in flames in an instant. The one (pyrrhic) positive from all this is that the continued conversation is finally giving victims a voice, and that is the most important matter which should never be forgotten.

OK, that unpleasantness behind us, let's get on with the list:

Priests - Nothing Feels Natural (January) *4th

So, just to completely undermine my ordering here, I slept massively on this band and album until the summer, almost six months after release. Thankfully, I caught them just in time to see them play live in Hamburg this June shortly after moving to Germany (oh yeah that happened too, what a year eh?) after seeing they were playing that week at the legendary Hafenklang venue. I checked out 'Jj' and was immediately bowled over, something a completely new artist to me hadn't done for some time. There's a moment in that song, a couple minutes in, where the sensation of "lifting off" occurs both in the music and listening experience, it is a thrill, to say the least. The rest of the album thankfully stood up just as highly (especially it's title track) and I admonished myself for not checking out this band clearly designed for my exact tastes. Live they were a force of nature, each member bringing something exciting, while collectively they reminded me of a tougher version of ESG's "dance-punk". So while I may have missed the boat initially, this record has quietly grown and grown in my estimation, to one of the year's standouts, and will be excited to see what they do next.

Thundercat - Drunk (February) *2nd 

The absolute boy does it again. Anyone who knows me knows Thundercat is one of my all-time boys, he'd be in my wrestling stable without a shadow of a doubt. I've been largely obsessed with Stephen Bruner since his fantastic turn on Flying Lotus's Cosmogramma and he has just got better ever since. For the first half of the year, Drunk was comfortably my favourite album of the record, knowing it would take something special to knock it off its perch (it did, but we'll come to that later). This is, paradoxically, both his most cohesive and chaotic album yet, detailing the wide range of emotions a drunk night on the tiles can elicit while also being his most confident statement musically yet. On top of that, Kendrick Lamar returns the favour for that 2016 Grammy win Bruner played a part in winning for To Pimp a Butterfly, the legendary Kenny Loggins and Michael McDonald show up on the lead single, and in the album's clear highlight, Bruner completes his Tron suite with an ode to his cat of the same name.

Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever - The French Press (March) - EP of the year, for whatever that's worth.

Australian music, from Melbourne especially, is in a pretty impressive state right now. Along with the above, Alex Cameron, Royal Headache, Julia Jacklin, King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard and Total Control (to name a few) have in recent years created a formidable scene down under, making them a globally recognised force to be reckoned with in the music world. Despite the slightly annoying name, Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever hit the BBC Radio 6 Playlists around March (though sadly not the Glasgow Music festival at the time) and with the song 'The French Press' turned many heads. The song gave 'Cause = Time' (a song somehow nearly 15 years old already) by Broken Social Scene a most welcome reboot while maintaining their own charming style. One would be forgiven for thinking this EP of the same name is just a vehicle for that one single, but no, to those who went out in search for more were rewarded with an excellent six tracks from top to bottom. This was only their second release after last year's Talk Tight so it will be very exciting to see what their first full-length LP brings us, hopefully, next year sometime.

Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (April)

What can I say, it's Kendrick. Like Priests, I took a strangely long time to get round to DAMN. and not even really for any particular reason other than... just listening to other stuff and quietly knowing this would be great when I did finally come around to it. Though DAMN. for me doesn't quite meet the insanely high mark of Lamar's previous two albums, it's still a very, very strong album from one of the best artists of the generation. While this may have the bombast of Good Kid or the sheer scale of Butterfly DAMN. still shows Lamar's incredible skill as a storyteller, dropping the listener into a fully realised world, largely because it's his reality. On top of this, he manages to write a song featuring U2 and it not be the worst thing ever! Outside of that, however, James Blake gets to return on his sparse roots on 'ELEMENT.' ahead of their co-headline tour next year, which singles 'HUMBLE.' and 'DNA.' prove Lamar's chops as an artist able to step back from his bigger concepts and make his point in three-minute bursts.

Timber Timbre - Sincerely, Future Pollution (April)

One of the most perennially underrated bands out, Canadian creepers Timber Timbre had one of the most quietly solid records of the year with Sincerely, Future Pollution. I've never been sure why they haven't quite caught the wider imagination as some of their peers, such as Grizzly Bear for instance, who sonically have had a very similar trajectory from lo-fi "freak-folk" to a more electronic indebted sound. Whatever it is, in a year where everyone and their dog were (understandably) wanting to comment on the state of things in a post-Trump/Brexit world, Timber Timbre took a more subtle approach (a word that perfectly describes the band overall) as they brought up 80's, Reagan-era sleaze into a modern context, with a healthy dose of Lynchian nightmarish images and structures. Through 9 feverish trips to the classical image of the decaying (in this case, swamp-ridden) city, we see the toxic nature of contemporary Western society poisoning everyone who embraces it, all soundtrack to lounge-jazz samples. It is perhaps the darkest, most sinister record of the year, a prevailing sense of creepiness and uneasiness permeates every beat, every noise, every line of frontman Taylor Kirk's deadpan delivery in a completely different way to say, Alex Cameron's multi-coloured coke-ridden characters. As the album's alluring cover suggests, this is all your favourite black-and-white 70s paranoia films come to life.

Listen: Sewer Blues

Hey Colossus - The Guillotine (June)

Speaking of underrated, how the hell did everyone sleep on Hey Colossus this year? Perhaps they overshot themselves on their epic 2015 double albums In Black & Gold/Radio Static High, but this for me was the best British album of the year and one of the only to really address the mess the UK has got itself into. While the sludge/psyche rock act may not be quite as chaotic or as heavy as some of their earlier output, this is easily their sharpest to date, pinpointing the rage, anger, frustrating, sorrow and even humour in the current idea of being an "Englishman". This is a loose concept album, based on very similar themes and sounds as Timber Timbre's (albeit heavier) which skewers the current public conscious, but also provides genuinely breath-taking moments on songs like 'Calenture Boy'.

Englishman

Fleet Foxes - Crack-Up (June)

Robin Pecknold's triumphant return to music and to Fleet Foxes has been one of the major stories of the year, though he received mixed responses for it. In preparation for this album, Fleet Foxes' third and first in 6 years, Pecknold debuted a few of these songs, solo, supporting Joanna Newsom last year. At the time it was just good to know he was still writing songs, but the sheer ambition and kaleidoscopic scope of Crack-Up is incredible, for a band largely known for kicking off the folk resurgence in earnest. This record is rather like an intense, feverish, psychedelic vision in which Pecknold leads our hand, a singular voice in the void, while the music moves from madness to calm and back again across 11 beautifully composed tracks. The first time opener 'All That I Need' kicks in, it takes the listener completely off-guard, washing them away in the oceans and the incoming storm on the album's artwork sleeve, and the only hope is to try to ride it out and hope you survive. It is a genuinely impressive return to form, one I'm not sure many people thought Pecknold and Co still had in them.

Fool’s Errand

Sheer Mag - Need to Feel Your Love (July)

It's not often where a band, especially as politically fierce as Sheer Mag are, just consistently put a smile on your face and make you raise a fist and shout "YES!" But that's the Philadelphia punk-via-70s-radio-rock band do in spades. They manage to elicit a feeling in their music of so-called "simpler times" while simultaneously bludgeoning you in the face with the bullshit attitudes that were just as much of a problem in the 70s as they are today (in fact, an era partly responsible for them). Led by perhaps one of the best frontpeople in music today, Tina Halliday and guitarist co-writer Matt Palmer, Sheer Mag are the quintessential punk band in everything but their sound, one which the original punks would have openly mocked at the time. The irony, of course, is that those original "punk" acts, The Ramones, Sex Pistols, Clash etc. took largely from 70s glam-rock, they just sped up the songs and make the themes and lyrics angrier. Sheer Mag in many ways remind me of Fucked Up, another punk-band obsessed with 70s revivalism. Both bands understand with loving care and passion that to create truly great punk music, one has to look outside the obvious influences, while keeping an ear open for a catchy hook to couple with prescient themes on oppression, race, sexism, homophobia, police brutality which still plague us today. We need acts like Sheer Mag in these troubling times to remind us, there is another way.

Suffer Me

Waxahatchee - Out in the Storm (July)

Processing a rough break-up is one of music's classic tropes (hell I did it on that album I put out this year - I promise to shut up about that now) but if the recent re-evaluation of the early-to-mid Emo/Pop-Punk scene has taught us anything, it's that even these so-called "sensitive" boys can be just as much of the patriarchal problem as more aggressively "macho" acts out there (and in some instances, actually worse).  This is a round-about way of saying, traditionally, we rarely get to hear the female side of the story, and if we do, it is often met with patronising audiences of "poor little girl" syndrome. So what a breath of fresh air it has been to see Katie Crutchfield's Waxahatchee project break free of the shackles of a somewhat suffocating relationship that involved both her romantic and music life and create an album that deconstructs relationships and toxic masculinity in such brilliant fashion. Over the course of these 10 songs, Crutchfield proudly wears her battle-scars and reflects upon where she was and where she is now on Out in the Storm. I saw Crutchfield twice this year, first in the aforementioned church in Calgary, solo, essentially introducing this album to a new audience, and then later, all-female live band featuring her sister Alison (who also supported and is an excellent talent in her own right) and British guitarist Katie Harkin (Sky Larkin, Sleater-Kinney) who really helped make this album shine. Every song here is a stunner, but in 'Sliver' we have one of the best songs of the year, an anthem of defiance that neatly sums up this great, great album.

Silver

Grizzly Bear - Painted Ruins (August) *5th

One of the big narratives of music in 2017 was the "comeback" of mid-to-late 2000s indie-rock having a resurgence. Along with the aforementioned Fleet Foxes, we also had return records from The National, Wolf Parade, LCD Soundsystem and Liars, for instance, most of whom will show up later in this list (because I'm a nostalgic mark apparently). Grizzly Bear have been one of the most consistent acts in that world and with their 5th album Painted Ruins only continued to prove that. While I'm not sure they'll ever top my personal favourite, Yellow House, in fairness, the band made a statement that they were moving away from the more lo-fi, freak-folk and more towards chamber pop on Veckatimest. Grizzly Bear remain an amazing and consistently surprising act who reveal themselves with every listen, a tactic they've still not lost in over a decade. They can do a big pop song 'Mourning Sound' and the more subtle 'Neighbors' but they still after all this time have the ability to pull the rug from underneath you 'Three Rings', 'Four Cypresses'. While this certainly was a great year for "indie" music (whatever that really means) but Grizzly Bear remain the torchbearers.

Neighbors

Liars - TFCF (August)

I'll admit it, this album may have eluded me if I hadn't been commissioned to interview Angus Andrew this summer. I've never been a huge fan of Liars, but I've always liked their style and ambition to always try something new with every record, even if with varying results. But man, I am glad I had that experience with Andrew, because TFCF, striking artwork and all, is a mini-career benchmark for him. Liars is now just a solo act, after Andrew's partner in crime Aaron Hemphill suddenly departed from the band when recording sessions for TFCF began initially in Los Angeles. Andrew's world was turned upside down by this revelation, so his reaction was to move back to his native Australia, and become a hermit in the bush in New South Wales, outside of Sydney. The result is an album where Andrew fully immerses himself in his surroundings, using field recordings of the natural world he is currently living in as the background sound for him to write songs over. It's an intriguing experience, especially as I don't believe Liars' music have ever really been described as "emotional" before leading TFCF to sound almost like The Moon & Antartica-era Modest Mouse in places. This isn't the only characteristic though, as Andrew jumps around from genre to genre, all unified by this... buzzing of the bush that sits underneath it all. While not quite Andrew's peak of records like Drum's Not Dead or the self-titled album, this is a small renaissance in his career, and it will be interesting to see where he goes next.

Cred Woes

Mogwai - Every Country's Sun (September)

Yeah, it's another Mogwai album, which at this stage feels like a warm cup of tea and a hug, but there's no denying they keep on keeping on. In recent years Mogwai have slowed down their studio album production, favouring soundtrack work for TV and Film in recent years - such as last year's Atomic and Before the Flood, but they remain a solid act and for my money the greatest Scottish and further, British, act outside of Radiohead. Every Country's Sun is a mere reminder of the band's consistent greatness in a year where similar acts Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Do Make Say Think also had strong entries. While there are some familiar tropes on Mogwai's latest, their 9th studio album, they did add one of their poppiest songs ever 'Party in the Dark' and a more subtle use of the Carpenter-esque electronics that characterised Rave Tapes on tracks like 'aka47'. The best is indeed saved for last, however, as the album's excellent title track that closes the album is perhaps one of the band's most epic yet, one I wouldn't be surprised if featured at Celtic or Scotland games in the future.

Party in the Dark

Alex Cameron - Forced Witness (September)

Well, this one came from left-field. Again, like Liars, I may well have missed this one had I not been sent to interview him, and even then, my enjoyment wasn't assured given Cameron's retroactive sound and questionable lyrical content. However, when it quickly became apparent that Cameron is playing a role lampooning the toxic masculinity his characters exude which is seemingly openly everywhere in 2017. While some fans were disappointed Cameron moved away from his singular, lo-fi sound of his debut Jumping the Shark, his move towards 80s sleaze-pop, like Timber Timbre, is an excellent vehicle in which his rather pathetic characters exist. It's an intriguing idea, as rarely do musicians or artists "play the loser", something that only tends to exist in the world of acting. In many ways, Cameron is a performance artist, although in seeing him live (in his semi-hometown Berlin where he recorded the album) he unmasks and speaks about his songs candidly. Whatever it is, Forced Witness is an excellent album full of excellent, catchy ditties, especially his duet with Angel Olsen, who plays her own interesting role in the background of this album, that explore some fairly dark themes with a sense of humour and irony that stay, just about, on the convincing side.

Stranger’s Kiss (duet with Angel Olsen)

The National - Sleep Well Beast (September)

Another year, another solid National album. The National will, it seems, always have a spot on my list, though Sleep Well Beast didn't crack the top 10 when I was voting in my respective publications. Sleep Well Beast, The National's seventh studio album, sees the band try and mix things up with the seemingly inevitable turn towards electronic music that basically every guitar-based band eventually dabble in. The results are mostly successful, though in many ways this isn't as much of a departure as first suggested, remaining very much a National album. The one disappointment, in fact, is that it _doesn't_ go further in it's "electronica" as tracks like 'Guilty Party' prove there are some legs there, but towards the end, they become a bit over-reliant on pretty much one style which gets a little trying. In fact, Sleep Well Beast is probably their most piano-based record as opposed to guitars or electronica, which leads to beautiful opener 'Nobody Else Will Be There'. Meanwhile, the band step back into their older territory on tracks like 'Day I Die' and the somewhat unfairly maligned 'Turtleneck'. It's nowhere near the band's best, but The National are like a familiar friend you can not see for years and dip in with and catch up like no time has passed and will always be welcome to visit. (Fun fact, Ann and I were present for the shooting of the ‘I’ll Still Destroy You’ video as it was at their HAVEN festival, however sadly we didn’t get in!)

I’ll Still Destroy You

Chelsea Wolfe - Hiss Spun (September)

Chelsea Wolfe has slowly been getting better and darker throughout her career. Personally, I'm a little surprised Hiss Spun hasn't featured on more end of year lists, as it is a star turn from the still young LA-based goth, aided massively with Kurt Ballou's MASSIVE production and guitar chops from Queens of the Stone Age's Troy van Leeuwen. Perhaps its because she's fully embraced her "metal-side" that critics have been a little allergic to it, I'm sure there would have been a few raised eyebrows at Aaron Turner (ISIS/Old Man Gloom)'s roar at the end of the excellent 'Vex'. Either way, this is an album from an artist clearly in the ascendancy, and may well prove to be a stepping stone to a masterpiece in the future. Of all the artists currently out there, she's certainly got the most potential for it.

16 Psyche

Wolves in the Throne Room - Thrive Woven (September)

Continuing on with Metal, here is by far the heaviest entry on this list (though Converge, of course, run them close) from Olympia, Washington's Wolves in the Throne Room. I had the pleasure of getting to see the American Black Metal legends (I think we're good to give them that title now) this summer in Calgary and it was an overwhelming experience. To those who don't know, it may seem at odds to describe extreme, heavy metal as "beautiful" but that is Black Metal. Its atmosphere achieves a sensation that is transcendent when done right and WITTR are masters of it. From the second 'Born in the Serpent's Eye' begins, the listener is immediately fully submerged. From there on, this is yet another masterpiece in the band's already exemplary canon and it is good to have them back to winning ways after the disappointing left-turn 'Celestial'.

Born from the Serpent’s Eye

Protomartyr - Relatives in Descent (September) *1st place

Head and shoulders above, this is the best album of the year. Protomartyr have been quietly getting better and better with every record, and almost achieved a perfect record in 2015's The Agent Intellect, a record that has aged incredibly well since its slightly underrated release. Now, there's no avoiding it, the band's first album for Domino records is seeing a much bigger audience for the Detroit post-punk band who next year could well see themselves at the higher end of many festival slots. Simply put, Protomartyr are the most exciting punk act in the world right now. No one is doing anything as interesting, exciting, challenging as Protomartyr, their heavy, philosophical themes mixed with their highly original sounds. Just listen to the opener 'A Private Understanding' and see. Who else would dare open an album and a lead single with one of the weirdest drum-beats every committed, an off-key guitar line, frontman Joe Casey delivering the line "Not by my own hand/Automatic writing by phantom limb/Not with my own voice/Pleurisy made to stand on two legs". While Casey is pretty humble and coy about his band's success and journalists (myself included) who wanted to impose mad theories about "BUT WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?" when really the answer is "truth is a slippery thing, just listen to it." Sage advice indeed, when the music is this good.

A Private Understanding

Wolf Parade - Cry, Cry, Cry (October)

Wolf Parade's triumphant return last year with an EP and Tour was one of the highlights of 2016. Their show at the Scala was one of the best of the year, a renewed vigour that was clearly waning by the end of the previous run was back and they looked fresh and happy to be here. It is perhaps no surprise then that they were able to translate that to the follow-up LP, 'Cry, Cry, Cry' (which came out on my birthday this year). Yes, it's a cleaner more polished sound, but goddamn they can still write a song. In 'You're Dreaming' and 'Valley Boy' we have great pop songs from Dan Boeckner and Spencer Krug respectively, but it's when the album goes BIG that it really shines, on such epics as 'Flies on the Sun', 'Baby Blue' and 'Weaponized'. Of course, 'Cry, Cry, Cry' isn't close to their incredible debut, but that's an impossible standard to meet, so the band don't even try it, instead streamlining their later sound into something more confident and coherent (see: 'Am I an Alien Here') and it's a very welcome to have them back.

You’re Dreaming

St. Vincent - MASSEDUCTION (October)

A bit like Alex Cameron's Forced Witness, MASSEDUCTION is very much a response to celebrity and paparazzi. Though Cameron doesn't really sing about that (it doesn't really fit with the character) the title and artwork certainly do allude to it, while one of the major themes of MASSEDUCTION is on this. Annie Clark had a very public break up with Cara Delevingne which also takes up much of the record, but you can't really pin this album on any one particular event or theme, other than Clark's re-evaluation and sexual freedom. MASSEDUCTION is an experience worth seeing live, which made the album work for me, which I was initially a little tentative about. I saw glowing reviews but didn't quite match them up to the music. Then, seeing Clark "live" (which has caused much controversy), everything made sense. After a first half set where she ran through her greatest hits in release date order, the second half saw her perform the album in full and it really was a performance. Then everything clicked, in what could be Clark's best record to date, which is an already very high benchmark to clear.

New York

Fever Ray - Plunge (October)

Speaking of sexual liberation, (what a segue!) a couple weeks after St. Vincent's album, Karin Dreijer Andersson, better known as Fever Ray, surprised fans with a new album which plays on similar themes to Clark's. While Dreijer's not quite in the public eye the way Clark has become, she instead crafts an album about sexual politics which is dangerous-yet-endearing and seems particularly pertinent in this current spate of highly public reportage of sexual assault incidents currently ongoing. As ever, Dreijer proves why she is such a force of nature in composing these tracks, which are challenging and danceable, poppy and angry etc. with 'To the Moon and Back' she has a defining statement, a manifesto and a rallying cry, carrying on the theme's from The Knife's possible final record Shaking the Habitual perfectly.

To the Moon and Back

Golden Teacher - No Luscious Life (November)

One of Glasgow's best bands, Golden Teacher's debut full length has been waited on for some time. Really, this sextet are best experienced live, as every show immediately becomes a party. It can be difficult sometimes for highly-energised acts to capture that on record, but thankfully Golden Teacher manage it with the help of Emily McLaren & Stuart Evans at Green Door Studios. Golden Teacher are for me the quintessential Glasgow band. They exist in a liminal zone that links the city's art-punk scene with the world-famous electronic scene, hence their inclusion on the legendary Optimo's label. The record mix funk, world and electronic music with a punk energy and are an absolute thrill to experience, it would be impossible to not put this record and not feel the groove.

Spiriton

Converge - The Dusk In Us (November) *3rd Place

And finally, rounding out this excellent year are one of my all-time favourite bands, Converge. While I don't really listen to much heavy music these days, Converge are the exception to the rule in many ways. They exist in their own space within music that is fiercely inventive and original. I recently had an argument with a few people about what genre to classify Converge as and simply put, it's an impossible and unnecessary task. Converge simply don't fit into any easy genre classification, they are just Converge. What is a surprise was that, though Converge have never really had a dip in quality, the fact they have been able to produce such a career highlight this late into their salad days is nothing short of remarkable but also typically them? The Dusk in Us is an incredible achievement by all involved. It is perhaps Ballou's best production job to date, Newton and Koller's most controlled performance and, crucially, Jacob Bannon's most assured vocals to date. It seems ridiculous that the 25-year-old band keep finding ways to better themselves, but here we are. Kudos to you Converge for remaining such an inspirational figure not just in the heavier genres, but music as a whole.

A Single Tear

Thank you for reading! Have a happy new year and great festive season. 

[heff88]

Cycled from Maryhill to the big wheel yesterday, just over 20 miles. I took a bit of a spill but it was worth it (at The Falkirk Wheel)

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My absolute toppest boy, forever and always ❤️ (at Brighton City Beach)

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End of a year (at Dalmarnock, Glasgow City, United Kingdom)

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View this post on Instagram

One week (at Brighton City Beach)

[ninetyminutenationalism-deactiv]

feel free to also adopt.

[heff88]

Good advice, will do.

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Mmmm

[heff88]

Elliot Smith - Either/Or

As a musician and an enigma, Elliot Smith has been written about endlessly, yet his music is often underrated, partly, perhaps because no one can agree on his best. There are arguments to be made for each of Smith’s musical snapshots, from the ultra lo-fi world of Roman Candle or his self-titled, through to his mainstream bothering moments in XO and Figure 8, to his final, posthumous release From A Basement on the Hill and you’ll quite easily find a defender of each record’s cause as his crowning achievement.

For me, however, nothing comes close to Either/Or which, in celebrating its recent 20th birthday, has a re–mastered re–release out today. Either/Or is Smith’s perfect distillation of soulful, introspective DIY artist and meaty, angsty catharsis which effectively defined Smith’s way too short career. It also possesses Smith’s greatest range of his immaculate songwriting talents of any of his records, creakily lo-fi but also crystal clear, its production is a shining example of folk and indie-rock to this day; not bad for a Beatles-obsessed songsmith from the north-west of America.

A brief personal history with this record, and its artist. I was incredibly late to the party regarding Smith. Outside of that scene from Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums featuring the then contemporary ‘Needle in the Hay’, I just couldn’t allow myself into Smith’s often grim worldview. Then a couple (clichéd) things happened. A couple years ago, I joined the band of a hugely Smith influenced indie-folk musician whom I got to tour around Norway with (often with Smith soundtracking the long, stunningly scenic drives) and I experienced my first, proper, defining heartbreak. Suddenly I was obsessed, I got what so many, so often were frenetically trying to convince me of. I dived headfirst into Smith’s cinematic music and he still influences me today as a musician.

Either/Or stands out because of its intensity and heaviness. It’s only 35 minutes long, but it never lets up in its emotional tenacity – it’s an album that oppressively sits on your chest and stays there long after the needle has dropped. It often feels like a post-hardcore or “emo” record – released at a time before that became a dirty word – which isn’t surprising given Smith’s roots in the Portland alt-rock band Heatmiser (who had only just split up at the time of Either/Or's conception) but also not surprising is how it is often regarded as a key influence on many musicians interested in punk. Just take a track like ‘No Name No. 5’, it sounds like something a drone-metal band would dream about creating, and yet Smith achieves it with his effected acoustic and a set of drums.

Like any musician who died young, the temptation to read much into a record “knowing what we know now” – a fate which befell northwestern peer Kurt Cobain only a couple years earlier – is misleading but ever prevalent all the same. Smith did struggle with depression and addiction most of his adult life, which combined with the fame bestowed upon him after his appearance at the Grammys, would, like Cobain, eventually prove all too much. And there are definite pointers to this struggle to be found, just listen to the crushingly brutal ‘2.45am’, but even that track is followed by one of the most gorgeous love songs ever committed to tape in ‘Say Yes’. That final gut punch, followed by a recuperative kiss and makeup, is Smith’s artistry to a tee. Either/Or, as it’s title suggests, is an album of opposites, something Smith would play with throughout his too-short oeuvre, but he plays it no better here.

The happy side, when it shows itself, is often short-lived and ironic, but that isn’t to say it’s not genuine. ‘Ballad of Big Nothing’ may well be morosely humoured as an ode to futility, but that dual nature reflects Smith at his best and brightest. His biggest Beatles-aping moment here is the wonderful 'Pictures of Me' which romps along like any of McCartney's most pompous tracks, but there is a dark undercurrent throughout that keeps it anchored to an all too real struggle going on in Smith's mind. Meanwhile, opener 'Speed Trials' gets things off to a terrific, tension-filled start - impressive for an acoustic act - and similarly, the deeper cut 'Cupid's Trick' dramatic outro delivers the quietly violent mood that pervades Smith's music.

Ultimately, though, it is Smith's solo arrangements that still ring through the ears of his followers all these years later. 'Between the Bars' and 'Angeles', two unofficial singles due to their placement on the soundtrack of Gus Van Sant's 'Good Will Hunting' (along with Smith's original song 'Miss Misery' which led to his Grammy appearance and brief fame) remain Smith's greatest and most fondly remembered achievements. While 'Waltz #2 (XO)' is probably Smith's most famous and quite rightly adored song, 'Behind the Bars' and 'Angeles' sit right there next to it, two perfect summaries of Smith's talents as the humble, introspective, philosophical and, sadly, tortured artist he will always be remembered for.

Either/Or remains Elliot Smith's finest album for many reasons, but it is his most important as the bridge from DIY solo artist to the widescreen, full band artist he would jump to. While the aforementioned Cobain is the ultimate musical idol of the first half of the 90's, and while his shadow stretched long into the decade he was only present for the four years of, Smith, arguably, is of equally important value. He is yet another relic of Portland's Kill Rock Stars label - already notable for Bikini Kill, Unwound and its ties to early Nirvana - a remarkable DIY movement for truly alternative music in a decade which threatened to devalue "authenticity" in alternative music altogether. Smith's legacy is not just as the truly talented songwriter he was, but also as part of a musical moment which continues to influence a countless amount of aspiring musicians, 20 years on.

[heff88]

As a musician and an enigma, Elliot Smith has been written about endlessly, yet his music is often underrated, partly, perhaps because no one can agree on his best. There are arguments to be made for each of Smith’s musical snapshots, from the ultra lo-fi world of Roman Candle or his self-titled, through to his mainstream bothering moments in XO and Figure 8, to his final, posthumous release From A Basement on the Hill and you’ll quite easily find a defender of each record’s cause as his crowning achievement.

For me, however, nothing comes close to Either/Or which, in celebrating its recent 20th birthday, has a re–mastered re–release out today. Either/Or is Smith’s perfect distillation of soulful, introspective DIY artist and meaty, angsty catharsis which effectively defined Smith’s way too short career. It also possesses Smith’s greatest range of his immaculate songwriting talents of any of his records, creakily lo-fi but also crystal clear, its production is a shining example of folk and indie-rock to this day; not bad for a Beatles-obsessed songsmith from the north-west of America.

A brief personal history with this record, and its artist. I was incredibly late to the party regarding Smith. Outside of that scene from Wes Anderson’s The Royal Tenenbaums featuring the then contemporary ‘Needle in the Hay’, I just couldn’t allow myself into Smith’s often grim worldview. Then a couple (clichéd) things happened. A couple years ago, I joined the band of a hugely Smith influenced indie-folk musician whom I got to tour around Norway with (often with Smith soundtracking the long, stunningly scenic drives) and I experienced my first, proper, defining heartbreak. Suddenly I was obsessed, I got what so many, so often were frenetically trying to convince me of. I dived headfirst into Smith’s cinematic music and he still influences me today as a musician.

Either/Or stands out because of its intensity and heaviness. It’s only 35 minutes long, but it never lets up in its emotional tenacity – it’s an album that oppressively sits on your chest and stays there long after the needle has dropped. It often feels like a post-hardcore or “emo” record – released at a time before that became a dirty word – which isn’t surprising given Smith’s roots in the Portland alt-rock band Heatmiser (who had only just split up at the time of Either/Or's conception) but also not surprising is how it is often regarded as a key influence on many musicians interested in punk. Just take a track like ‘No Name No. 5’, it sounds like something a drone-metal band would dream about creating, and yet Smith achieves it with his effected acoustic and a set of drums.

Like any musician who died young, the temptation to read much into a record “knowing what we know now” – a fate which befell northwestern peer Kurt Cobain only a couple years earlier – is misleading but ever prevalent all the same. Smith did struggle with depression and addiction most of his adult life, which combined with the fame bestowed upon him after his appearance at the Grammys, would, like Cobain, eventually prove all too much. And there are definite pointers to this struggle to be found, just listen to the crushingly brutal ‘2.45am’, but even that track is followed by one of the most gorgeous love songs ever committed to tape in ‘Say Yes’. That final gut punch, followed by a recuperative kiss and makeup, is Smith’s artistry to a tee. Either/Or, as it’s title suggests, is an album of opposites, something Smith would play with throughout his too-short oeuvre, but he plays it no better here.

The happy side, when it shows itself, is often short-lived and ironic, but that isn’t to say it’s not genuine. ‘Ballad of Big Nothing’ may well be morosely humoured as an ode to futility, but that dual nature reflects Smith at his best and brightest. His biggest Beatles-aping moment here is the wonderful 'Pictures of Me' which romps along like any of McCartney's most pompous tracks, but there is a dark undercurrent throughout that keeps it anchored to an all too real struggle going on in Smith's mind. Meanwhile, opener 'Speed Trials' gets things off to a terrific, tension-filled start - impressive for an acoustic act - and similarly, the deeper cut 'Cupid's Trick' dramatic outro delivers the quietly violent mood that pervades Smith's music.

Ultimately, though, it is Smith's solo arrangements that still ring through the ears of his followers all these years later. 'Between the Bars' and 'Angeles', two unofficial singles due to their placement on the soundtrack of Gus Van Sant's 'Good Will Hunting' (along with Smith's original song 'Miss Misery' which led to his Grammy appearance and brief fame) remain Smith's greatest and most fondly remembered achievements. While 'Waltz #2 (XO)' is probably Smith's most famous and quite rightly adored song, 'Behind the Bars' and 'Angeles' sit right there next to it, two perfect summaries of Smith's talents as the humble, introspective, philosophical and, sadly, tortured artist he will always be remembered for.

Either/Or remains Elliot Smith's finest album for many reasons, but it is his most important as the bridge from DIY solo artist to the widescreen, full band artist he would jump to. While the aforementioned Cobain is the ultimate musical idol of the first half of the 90's, and while his shadow stretched long into the decade he was only present for the four years of, Smith, arguably, is of equally important value. He is yet another relic of Portland's Kill Rock Stars label - already notable for Bikini Kill, Unwound and its ties to early Nirvana - a remarkable DIY movement for truly alternative music in a decade which threatened to devalue "authenticity" in alternative music altogether. Smith's legacy is not just as the truly talented songwriter he was, but also as part of a musical moment which continues to influence a countless amount of aspiring musicians, 20 years on.

[heff88]

My album Unreal City by Frauen is now on Spotify!

[heff88]

Hi Wrasslin’ fans, lapsed or otherwise, you may or may not be aware that this little thing called Wrestlemania is tonight and if we get behind it, it might just make it!

We (wrestling nerds) will return to our normal dismissals after tonight, but here's a place for everyone to discuss the biggest AMERICAN wrestling event of the year in all its silly splendour in case any casuals want to get involved. Are you staying up for it? planning on catching up (full or highlights) tomorrow?

In the UK you can watch it either on Sky Box Office or WWE Network, the pre-show starts at 10 pm tonight and the main card at midnight. Given the amount of matches, it's probably safe to say this thing is gonna run til about 5 am...

But anyway, let's break down the card! (Order TBD)

PRE-SHOW: ANDRE THE GIANT MEMORIAL BATTLE ROYALE a.k.a that sweet, sweet WrestleMania payday

Mostly just a bit of fun really, throwing everyone who doesn't have a match in here, INCLUDING THE SMACKDOWN TAG CHAMPS THE USOS. Interestingly, Luke Harper isn't listed (though he might be a surprise) so at the moment the only really credible guys here are The Big Show and Braun Strowman (who should win, really). Couple NXT guys Tian Bing and Killian Dain have announced as debuting here too so look at them as outsiders, otherwise pretty forgettable. There is also rumours that a certain larger than life NFL player may make an entrance...

Prediction: BRAUUUUUUUN

NEVILLE VS AUSTIN ARIES - CRUISERWEIGHT TITLE

Shame this is on the pre-show really, they've spent the better part of the year trying to build these guys up and finally seem to have struck gold with "King" Neville proclaiming "F*** the Mackems" and no one will see them on the big stage. If you are new, (Adrian) Neville is a high-flipping Geordie lad who has recently kicked out in frustration at always been looked down upon (because he's a wee, weird looking Geordie guy) and it's been pretty great. It's kinda off Aries is the face here but anyway, this should be a good match between two excellent workers with an alright story behind it to boot.

Prediction: Aries

MAIN CARD:

Smackdown Women's Title 6-pack challenge Alexa Bliss (c) vs Becky Lynch vs Natalya vs. Mickie James vs. Carmella vs. Naomi

This WAS on the pre-show but WWE actually responded to complaints that its a bit off for the women's division they've spent the last year and a half building as a credible thing to end up on the pre-show. That said it's probably a good shout it will just open the main show instead. I love Alexa Bliss but no chance Naomi isn't taking this, she never "lost" the title and now gets to do it in front of her hometown crowd (was her "injury" a work?) but these are all credible challengers (except maybe Carmella) so should be entertaining enough. This isn't an elimination match, however, so don’t expect it to be too long.

Prediction: Naomi

RAW TAG TITLES LADDER MATCH The Club (Gallows and Anderson) (c) vs. Sheamus & Cesaro vs. Enzo & Cass

Because who doesn't love big ol' tag ladder matches at Mania? This division is a mess after tonight's hosts The New Day (don't sleep on them getting involved) ruled the titles for over a year. This should be fun at least, the only way to make this match a bit more entertaining was to throw some ladders in the mix, although big fella Sheamo might not agree after he received several stitches taking a ladder shot on RAW this week. There are also A LOT of rumours of the Hardys getting involved here but I'm not sold on that just now (would make sense regarding ladders mind). But if not, I think, sadly, this is Enzo & Cass's coronation even though they are clearly the weakest team of the bunch...

Predictions: DELETE! DELETE! DELETE! (but if not S-A-W-F-Ties Enzo & Cass)

INTERCONTINENTAL TITLE MATCH Dean Ambrose (c) vs Baron Corbyn

I'm surprised this isn't a no-DQ match given the build of this one. For the uninitiated, Ambrose is "TOTALLY INSANE" whereas “Big Banter Breakfast” Corbyn is a "Lone Wolf" who's gimmick is that he really believes himself to be the next top guy (and fair play to him, I guess). Highlights have included Corbyn trying to murder Ambrose by crushing him with a forklift (which they keep mentioning totally earnestly because WRASSLIN’) and Ambrose literally switching Corbyn off during an interview. Hard to know where Ambrose is at the moment, he started last year SUPA HOT FIRE and seems to have lost all momentum, so would expect this to be Corbyn's moment to prove himself.

Prediction: Corbyn takes the Intercontinental title, labour party, to new heights.

BIG SILLY MIXED TAG TEAM/MARRIAGE PROPOSAL MATCH John Cena & Nikki Bella vs The Miz and Maryse

Holy crap, what a build, what a year these guys have had. On any other year (remember these two headlined a WrestleMania only 6 years ago) this would be the stupidest match on the card... and it is and will be, but that is not a bad thing. This will be pure "sports entertainment" and you know what, I'm actually kinda looking forward to it? Everyone involved's stock has flown up over the course of the last year, and the build for this between them has actually been amazing (If you haven't seen them, do yourself a favour and check out Miz and Maryse impersonating Cena and Nikki, it's been amazing). This will be a classic "Good guys conquer bad guys" match Cena has been having forever, but for once he's (well, WWE) aren't burying young talent and can see Miz and Maryse coming out of this looking great. I expect Daniel Bryan will get involved in some way (returning the kicks Miz stole from him probably) and Cena proposes to Nikki after, with the rest of the show just being the two of them banging in the middle of the ring.

Predictions: It would be AMAZING if Miz and Maryse won, but it's not going to happen, so let's just enjoy this for what it is.

UNITED STATES TITLE MATCH (but oh so much more) Chris Jericho (c) vs Kevin Owens

This is a title match, but it is SO MUCH MORE. This has had almost a year build, as Jericho and Owens became best friends and literally carried post-split RAW for its first few months. Owens had to give up the big boy title for the big boy match for this, and everyone kinda forgot Jericho was a champion, so the title isn't really important, this is the culmination of the greatest betrayal since The Shield or Shawn Michaels put Marty Jannetty through the barber shop window. This has the potential to be MOTN as Jericho is still "the best at what he does, maaaaaaaan" and Owens is just a fantastic heel. Owens should win, however, for this story to really make sense (but this might carry over to RAW tomorrow)

Prediction: KOMania2

RAW Women's title match, 4-way Elimination match Bayley (c) vs. Charlotte Flair vs. Sasha Banks vs. Nia Jax

You'll notice (if you're still reading) both women's matches are basically just big smodges just to get everyone (except Dana Brooke, lol) involved. The Women stole the show last year, but I can't really see it happening this year. Since that incredible encounter, Charlotte and Sasha have fought forever, as have, to a lesser extent, Bayley and Nia Jax, and so here we are. Bayley's not had a great run as champion and kinda needs to go back to being the underdog. Sasha has been teasing a heel turn which very much could/should happen here, Nia Jax is big and that so if she doesn't win she's probably getting DQ'd? (If that's a thing, wrestling can never make up its mind about that) Or if not ganged up on. So I guess that leaves Charlotte to become a 5 time champion on her run to match (or beat) her father's record in the space of like 2 years through short reigns (I'm sure Flair had a few microscopic runs too during mid-90s WCW). The most intriguing thing about this match is that it is elimination, but otherwise, thoroughly un-hyped for this one, sadly.

Prediction: Sasha heel turn on Bayley, Nia gets screwed somehow, Charlotte wins.

MAIN EVENT MATCHES: Shane McMahon vs AJ Styles (because we had nothing better to do for our universally praised wrestler of the year than fight the boss's son)

Who the hell knows, we could have had Michaels vs Styles man. I respect Michaels decision not to come out of retirement, but man, we're left with THIS? I don't really know what to say, they're building this as a regular wrestling match, so in theory Styles should squash Shane O'Mac, but I guess he's gonna need to jump off something for some reason because it's him? I have faith in Styles to produce some magic with Shane (because, hell, if he can do it with Ellsworth then surely here) but man, they better be putting the title on Styles for a year after this to break CM Punk's record or something.

Predictions: Shane to jump off the rollercoaster set or the giant fake ring above the normal one (which looks really weird by the way), Styles obviously to win because otherwise, I might just give up.

"NON-SANCTIONED" MATCH Seth Rollins vs Triple H

When did Un-sanctioned become Non-sanctioned? Anyway, if you don't know what this means, basically its a "kayfabe" (storyline) way of saying this match "shouldn't be happening officially" and therefore these two can use all of WWE's facilities to beat the crap out of each other. Or something. This match pretty much depends on how healthy Rollins is (apparently he's had the flu all week, the guy really can't catch a break huh?) and he's returning from a knee injury (hence the non-sanctioned thing). If he's healthy and all is good, this could be a decent blow-off to a long, drawn out build in which Triple H screwed Seth out of the title back in August and then everyone forgot about it for a while. We will just have to see.

Prediction: Rollins, Triple H might be a heel but his actual real-life heel days are long past. That said, it being a non-sanctioned match, expect a lot of shenanigans from Samoa Joe (and/or maybe Finn?) given he'll be allowed to basically turn this into a handicap match.

IT'S MY YARD! NO, IT'S MINE! MATCH Roman Reigns (boo) vs The Undertaker

Holy S***, Roman Reigns got booed at the Hall of Fame induction. That is some seriously dumb, needy reactions from the fans but it is also a sign of things to come. It takes a lot for me to feel sorry for Reigns but that was insane. Anyway, this match is much more dependent on The Undertaker who isn't, in fact, a dead man and is indeed ageing quite rapidly at this point. He did not look good at the Rumble at all and he barely had to do anything against Shane last year, so who knows. Reigns, love him or hate him, is a reliable safe pair of hands in "big matches" and you know what, it actually makes much more sense for him to beat The Undertaker and go full heel (PLEASE WWE, we beg you). Triple H made an interesting comment the other day that "Well, Reigns basically is a heel to most of you anyway, so we can kinda book him how we like" so maybe not. Anyway, there's some chat that this should close the show, but I don't think so, personally, unless this really is Taker’s last dance. This might be alright, we'll have to see how long it takes Taker to get to the ring (gonna guess half an hour) but PLEASE guys if you are putting Reigns over tonight PLEASE do not get Taker to raise his hand in respect. You WILL get a full-scale riot on your hands (then again, maybe that's what they want).

Predictions: Reigns (sadly?). Apparently, J.R is calling this one too, fuelling the retirement rumours.

WWE UNIVERSAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH WILLIAM GOLDBERG (c) vs BORK LESNAR w/ Paul Heyman

*sigh* The main dispute over who closes the show is between the two title matches. I personally think it will be this but in the spirit of the rumble winner, we will stick to that format for now. This match could be good. It could be. It just depends on if Goldberg (who also got booed at the Hall of Fame, interestingly) can go longer than 5 minutes. This is the big epic culmination of the grand total of about 3 minutes of actual wrestling so far, as Goldberg squashed Lesnar at Survivor Series (which was a great moment in all honesty) and then eliminated him with relative ease at the Rumble. This is also a "WrestleMania XX apology match" after that utter car-crash of a match which ruined an otherwise solid, though controversial, purely because of Benoit, Mania. So basically, this match HAS to be at least 5-10 minutes. It doesn't need to be a big long "slobber knocker" but it does need to at least feel like a big bruising end to one of the company's biggest but most controversial storylines, given two part-timers are fighting over one of its main belts. I'm quietly confident that they will deliver something worthwhile, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it's an utter mess.

Prediction: Lesnar finally conquers Goldberg, although apparently the latter is booked for RAW tomorrow? Also, maybe, just maybe Finn Balor shows up (here or tomorrow).

WWE TITLE MATCH Bray Wyatt (c) vs. Randy Orton

This might be on before the two other matches, but as Randy Orton is this year's Royal Rumble winner, let's stick with “tradition” for the purposes of this write-up.

This storyline has been wild. It has also been a lot of fun and very self-referentially "Attitude Era Wrasslin’" so I must say I've enjoyed it a lot and if nothing else, Bray Wyatt has actually finally got to be the champion for a bit and looked pretty menacing doing it. There's still the Luke Harper issue to be resolved here (and perhaps a return for forgotten Wyatt family member Erick Rowan?) but this should be a pretty solid main event. Orton isn't amazing, we all know that, but he does have the ability to turn matches on their head in an instant (as does Wyatt, for that matter) and this storyline, crazy as it has been, has been great for both of them. Expect maybe some supernatural happenings too given the whole "NO, I HAVE THE SPIRIT OF SISTER ABIGAIL" dispute.

Prediction: Orton.

And so there we have it. Phew, this took as long to write as its probably going to be to watch it, but there we are. I hope this was worth writing down for someone anyway. Overall, this is an intriguing Mania which hasn't had the best build but, on the Raw side especially, that's kinda typical of where WWE is at right now. There are a lot of variables going into tonight, but there is a lot of potential too. We shall see. I just hope not to be too drunk/tired and end up missing the main event like last year (although to be fair, that was a total snoozefest).

Let me know your thoughts, feelings, predictions and Wrestlemania plans! Or tell me to shut up and I'll get a mod to merge this with the other wrestling thread. For now, I'm off for a walk while I still can.

[heff88]

(via https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JyrIb6Zn3rg)

FRAUEN - In-Between

My band’s first video directed by Louise Grace Kenny!

[heff88]

My Picks For the 2016 Pitchfork Readers’ Poll

View my ballot in Pitchfork’s 2016 Readers’ Poll

Played by their rules this year so missing stuff like Anxiety and Bad Breeding

[heff88]

My all-time top 10 records (Oct 2016) - Part 2

Welcome to part 2. As you’ll see a bit more clearly here, I tried to respesent all the genres and styles that have influenced me.

Madvillain - Madvillainy (2004)

And now for something completely different. From and early age, hip-hop was one of my first loves. In the mid-to-late-90s (often seen as a creative peak for hip-hop and rap) I never missed Tim Westwood’s (a Norwich boy through-and-through) Saturday Night Radio 1 show, much to the unbeknownst of my parents who probably would have done something about it if they had realised. I just remember being fascinated with it as a genre, because, much like animation as a television genre, you could do anything with hip-hop. You could create any sound, any mood and any feeling you wanted with hip-hop if you knew where to look and coming from a mostly unprivileged background generally meant these artists had something pertinent to say. Then, of course, Eminem happened along with genre legend Dr. Dre in his corner, and the whole thing came to a mainstream pass. I still remember hearing ‘My Name is...’ on Westwood’s show a good few months before it really exploded, but once it happened there was no turning back. The older, mostly white, rock crowd simply didn’t get this black, dangerous music when it first exploded in the 80s and it was still largely the case when a young, snotty white kid from Detroit, Michigan took over the reigns. The genre would diversify into the new millennium (you may notice all these albums are from roughly the same period) as hip-hop and rap became an accepted, important genre as my generation became consumers. Of the vast amount of incredible music out there, nothing for me comes close to Daniel Dumille (a.k.a MF Doom), a British-born but mostly American based artist who during his career, took that particular analogy of hip-hop being like a cartoon strip literally and created a whole world of characters both of his own making and re-appropriated from old cartoons (much like Space Ghost Coast-to-Coast). When he teamed up with Madlib to create Madvillain, however, he found his most successful vehicle for his incredible rap talents. DOOM can write himself out of any corner with his words; his inventiveness and originality mixed with a more common-man nostalgia gave him the scope to inhabit whatever mood he fancied: anger, lust, joy, pride and Madlib’s production gave DOOM the room to create whatever the hell he wanted.

Converge - You Fail Me (2004)

I know Jane Doe (2001) is canon, and there isn’t much in it, but You Fail Me was the first album that really got me into Converge and it remains my favourite. As incredible as Jane Doe is, it doesn’t have ‘First Light/Last Light’ or You Fail Me’s title track or ‘Eagles Become Vultures’. I love both albums dearly and both would top my favourite “Heavy” albums of all time, sometimes you can’t explain why you prefer one (less favourited) over the other, but You Fail Me still gets to me in ways other records can’t. Converge tower above everyone in modern heavy music, and still to this day their effect is being felt.

Godspeed You! Black Emperor! - F♯ A♯ ∞ (1997)

Another slightly off-canon choice, F♯ A♯ ∞ beats Godspeed’s more often cited Lift Yr. Skinny Fists (2000) mostly due to sheer atmosphere. Lift is a beautiful record, no doubt and ‘Storm’ remains the band’s crowning achievement but nothing really matches F♯ A♯ ∞ in terms of sounding like the actual end of the world was coming in a record (later utilised by Danny Boyle in the film 28 Days Later). Both it’s slightly differing vinyl and CD versions are excellent, distinguishing it as an incredible moment in “post-rock”. But, it terms of scale and ambition, even far more consistent acts such as Mogwai or Sigur Ros couldn’t match Godspeed as a singular entity (admittedly, not that they really tried to do that) and this nightmarish record will forever ring true of that. It is what a century ago came to be known as the fin de siècle a pessimistic view of the end of the century meaning the end of the world. They say Slint’s Spiderland launched the genre of post-rock but F♯ A♯ ∞ (in many ways a spiritual sounding sequel) would come to define it as the peak of this sound and as something of a pre-cursor to the turn of the century records which would be based on very similar themes.

 Weezer - The Blue Album (1994)

Time to lighten the mood I think. Weezer’s Blue Album is the oldest record on this list which I think says a couple of interesting things. At a time when alt-rock and “grunge” was at an all-time high, and it’s unelected leader had just comitted suicide, everyone around at the time were taking themselves increasingly seriously. Weezer, then, were this weird oddity in the post-Nirvana landscape. Here was a technically proficient band who had all the sound and style of their mid-90s American contemporaries and yet the prevailing message, the truly counter-culture thing about them in a sea of acts pretending, is that they were simply a bunch of nerdy pals who had fun making music together. That isn’t to say Weezer weren’t a serious band. They would prove they had emotional investment in them on “the first emo record” Pinkerton in 1996 but also here on ‘The World has Turned and Left Me Here’ and ‘Say it ain’t So’. But the prevailing memory is of a band who released ‘Buddy Holly’ and ‘Undone (The Sweater Song)’ as its singles which set them far apart from their contemporaries. There are loads of amazing examples from this period of time of music I love that has come to define me including Nirvana’s In Utero, from more serious examples like Drive Like Jehu’s Yank Crime and Jawbreaker’s 24 Hour Revenge Therapy to more campy, OTT examples such as Green Day’s Dookie and Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream as well as some records that sit somewhere in-between such as Nine Inch Nails’ Downward Spiral and Pavement’s Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain all of which have a solid case for being in my top 10. However, Blue Album has always remained a beacon, because it manages to be something like all those albums I just listed, into one, coherent and endlessly enjoyable 10 tracks. 

Joanna Newsom - Ys (2006)

And so to the final entry, and the youngest album on the list (both in terms of age and my appreciation of it). Like many great works of art, Ys is not immediate. I was aware of its release 10 years ago (next month) but it didn’t really strike me for a couple years yet despite all the hype. I wouldn’t probably become infatuated with Newsom until her next album 2010′s sprawling triple album Have One On Me which insisted the listener get lost in the world she had lived over the since the release of Ys. While all of Newsom’s output is pretty incredible, Ys remains her jewel in the crown because over the course of 5 epic tracks the listener has gone on an incredible journey holding Newsom’s metaphorical hand throughout. While her lyrics and themes are universe-scoping, Newsom has an incredible ability to cut things right down to the bone out of pretty much nowhere. I’ve written about it before but there are few more thrilling and devastating moments in music that the middle section of the incredible ‘Sawdust and Diamonds’ than when she laments:

I wanted to say: Why the long face Sparrow, perch and play songs of long face Burro, buck and bray songs of long face! Sing, I will swallow your sadness, and eat your cold clay Just to lift your long face; And though it may be madness, I will take to the grave Your precious longface And though our bones they may break, and our souls separate — Why the long face? And though our bodies recoil from the grip of the soil — Why the long face? 

Thanks for reading!

[heff88]

My all-time top 10 records (Oct 2016) - Part 1

I’ve done this a few times over the years (hence the date) and it has generally solidified but it’s always fun to do when people bring it up.

Interpol - Turn on the Bright Lights (2002)

This album will forever remain important to me for a couple reasons. 1) It is one of the most romantic and heartbreaking records ever. Sure Paul Banks’ lyrics can be iffy at times, but nothing takes away from his amazing delivery here, over the top of a record which creates such an amazing mood right from the opening notes of ‘Untitled’ and never lets up. 2) It shaped me as a musician probably more than any other record. As you’ll see/probably know punk music (and how far you can push it as a genre) is what excites me the most. Interpol, despite coming at a time when “Indie music” was at its height, shouldn’t be forgotten (neither the band or genre) that they are essentially a post-punk band, i.e the darker yet melodic branch of punk best encapsulated by Joy Division, The Smiths and The Cure. Interpol would unfairly get diminished as a tribute act to those three British bands which helped shape a decade, but that would be to ignore how incredibly inventive and original (except ‘Say Hello to the Angels’, I’ll concede) they were as a band, with their guitarists (Banks and Daniel Kessler) and their rhythm section (Carlos D and Sam Fogarino) interlocking to create their incredible, shape-shifting sound. A lot of what makes ‘Turn on the Bright Lights’ special, is what’s going on underneath and in-between notes, hits and words all seamlessly coming together to create something truly incredible.

Fugazi - The Argument (2001)

I was, admittedly, fairly late to the Fugazi train, but once I was on it, it never really let me off. Fugazi were everything a punk band should be throughout the 1990s. They were mercilessly DIY, taking control of every aspect of their production, meaning they were able to make increasingly great music with every attempt. It is slightly pointless ranking Fugazi albums, their consistently was so apparent that any album could have the case made of being their best (and has, over the years) but I am of the camp that generally believes they (roughly) improved with every album. 1990′s Repeater throws some shade into this theory, but what’s important to remember is that Fugazi never sat still. Every time they went to record, they brought something new to the table which kept furthering their sound from the simpler sounds and ideas of their parent bands Minor Threat and Rites of Spring. Therefore, The Argument, their final release, remains their crowning achievement. After over a decade of revolutionising DIY punk, the new millennium saw them push the boundaries even further, daring at times to even become a Beatles-esque pop band over the songs ‘Strangelight’ and ‘Oh’. However, they also still maintained their political-punk ethic on the incredible tracks ‘Full Disclosure’ and ‘Epic Problem’ which ensured their legacy would forever be remembered. 

Fucked Up - Hidden World (2006)

I got to write about this album recently for Drowned in Sound so I don’t have much more to add than what I already wrote down there. All I can really say now is, this is Fucked Up’s best and most underrated album, so listen to it, stupid!

Unwound - Leaves Turn Inside You (2001)

Unwound had a strangely similar career path to their east coast contemporaries Fugazi, in that both bands continued to re-define themselves and the genre they both existed in throughout the 90s. However, coming from relative obscurity in a post-Nirvana/grunge Northwest America Justin Trosper and co have faced a much slower uptake in appreciating their incredible output, which has only really recently started to be rectified by Numero Group’s re-issuing of their back catalogue. Again, like Fugazi, any of Unwound’s records from 1993′s Fake Train onwards can (and has) been argued as their best, with 1996′s Repetition probably making the strongest case. However, like The Argument, it would be the band’s swan song that would come to define them, the ambitious, terrifying, walk through hell and back that is double-album Leaves Turn Inside You. Both bands have spoken about how the new Millennium was a strange time to be alive; when everyone was foolishly worried about the “Y2K” bug, no one saw the oncoming threat of the “War-on-Terror” America was sleepwalking itself into. Unwound were present (on the New Jersey side) when 9/11 happened while touring this album, and it would ultimately end the band’s existence but there’s something about these albums (and the next one on the list) that seemed to predict that something very dark-this-way-comes.

Radiohead - Kid A (2000)

We all know the story now of ‘Idioteque’ has less than original beginnings. Kid A isn’t the most original electronic album out there, meaning this spot really should go to Ambient Works 85-92. However, what Kid A means to the careers of easily one of the most important British bands of all time and popular music as a whole, added with the aforementioned mood that the hyper-digital world we had created was about to come crashing down around us, means Kid A is still a relevant and worthy adversary of the new millennium. People quite rightly point to 1997′s OK Computer as holding that mantle, and that is equally true. OKC is an incredible record in its own right and came at a time when brit-pop and “Cool Britannia” were at their peak. But, it’s not as daring (or as consistent) as Kid A which saw this famous 90′s act into the new decade as the metamorphizing, risk-taking, revolutionary act we now know. Kid A saw Radiohead, at that point the most popular band in the world, hit the reset button and start all over again, scrapping the more typical brit-pop sound to create something to announce the new world order of music at a time where political upheaval was right around the corner.

[heff88]

ANOTHER NEW SDF RECORD, REALLY YOU ARE SPOILING US GUYS @selfdfens

[heff88]

Review of Future of the Left, Roll Tomassi & United Fruit at Restless Natives Festival,  St. Luke's, Glasgow 14/05/16

http://ravechild.co.uk/2016/05/19/restless-natives-future-of-the-left-saint-lukes-14516/

[heff88]

My top 10 Albums of 2015

1. Viet Cong: Viet Cong 

Despite coming out in January, despite the name controversy, no album had me quite as enraptured all year as Viet Cong’s self-titled debut. Formed from the already brilliant Women, a band who existence was cut tragically short, Viet Cong blew the doors open to 2015 with an absolute stunner of an album, with an incredible live show to boot. This 7 track LP actually gets better as it progresses, starting from the relatively subdued electronica induced intro “Newspaper Spoons” to the finish-line sprint of “March of Progress”, the swagger of “Continental Shelf” to the final ten minute plus epic “Death” and in “Silhouettes”, we have one of the best tracks of the year.

Viet Cong - Silhouettes Bandcamp

2. Self Defense Family: Heaven Is Earth 

Self Defense Family were only a decent production job away from a classic. 2013′s ‘Try Me’ is an excellent record I got into way too late, but it’s production values lets down it’s far superior songwriting. On follow-up ‘Heaven is Earth’ that is no longer a problem. Honestly, this record narrowly missed out on the top spot for me, perhaps only losing by virtue of not yet seeing it performed live, whereas Viet Cong I saw three times and all were brilliant and varied and weird. SDF’s power is in repetition and tension. They are experts at building songs until they should explode, but rather than going for the obvious crescendo, let the songs implode and decay naturally. Patrick Kinlon is surely one of our currently most valuable frontmen, with witty, incisive lyrics and delivery and a voice that, in the words of Wes Eisold, “Though isn’t great, at least, is sincere”. No other hardcore band (to my knowledge) is currently pushing the boundaries of what being a hardcore band in 2015 is to the extent that SDF does currently, even their Canadian peers Fucked Up seem to have given up on it in recent years, as their songs push and pull the listener in joyfully unexpected ways. The highlight is the album’s self-titled centre-piece, a mystical, shoegaze track with lines such as:”Christians say, Hell is easy” which comes completely out of left-field from what has preceded it and yet is a perfect fit to this enchanting record which makes you expect the unexpected.

Self Defense Family - Heaven is Earth  Bandcamp

3. Sauna Youth: Distractions 

Now here’s a fun record. London’s art/post-punk 4-piece Sauna Youth had been teasing out their debut full length for a while (they formed an alter-ego band “Monotony” - also a song on this record - while this record’s release got delayed) but when it finally came, my did it deliver. This is pretty much the most fun you could have with a record in 2015, just 14 straight-up bangers which never loses pace and keeps things interesting with some inventive songwriting and constant boy-girl duo vocals.

Sauna Youth - “Transmitters” Bandcamp

4. Sleater-Kinney: No Cities to Love 

If there was any reformation that was going to really work and be relevant in 2015, surely it was always going to be Sleater-Kinney. The Portland, Oregon trio were the best in the game during their existence but cut things short at their then creative peak ‘The Woods’ 10 years ago to pursue other interests. ‘No Cities For Love’ shows that despite the ten-year hiatus, these three women have if anything gained in their already impressive powers as a formidable indie-rock band creating ten songs which range from rage to happiness to hope. Their two singles both featured brilliant videos featuring a whole host of celebrities and Bob’s Burgers respectively.

Sleater-Kinney - “No Cities to Love” / “A New Wave”

5. Björk: Vulnicura 

This was a tough one. Another excellent record in January (along with Viet Cong and Sleater-Kinney) Björk produced one of her finest records in years albeit in a heartbreaking situation. Vulnicura was written and recorded shortly after the demise of her long time relationship, and the fresh pain is clearly audible here. It is a beautiful record filled with lush string arrangements and brilliant electronics from the excellent producers Haxan Cloak and Arca and an enchanting guest spot from Antony (formerly of and the Johnsons). 

Björk - “Stonemilker”

6. Deerhunter: Fading Frontier 

Deerhunter’s most luscious effort yet, full of joy and late summer warmth, a real life-affirming effort after their dingy and slightly disappointing ‘Monomania’

Deerhunter - Breaker

7. Kendrick Lamar: To Pimp a Butterfly 

A hugely entertaining, yet intentionally infuriating record about the state of black America in 2015 arriving in a highly tumultuous and aggravating 12 months. This is an album full of surprises and star turns, but nowhere does Kendrick sound as full of rage than on stand out “Blacker the Berry” or on “Alright” with it’s stunning video.

Kendrick Lamar - Alright

8. Joanna Newsom: Divers 

An actually fairly subdued record by Joanna Newsom’s impossibly high benchmark set from her previous three LPs, but ‘Divers’ still delivers where it needs to for an as ever infatuating listen. 

Joanna Newsom - A Pin-Light Bent

9. Title Fight: Hyperview 

A difficult follow-up to the near-perfect “Floral Green” but Title Fight should be lauded for attempting a change in direction after their post-hardcore opus. ‘Hyperview’ attempts the very on trend attempt at blending pop-punk and shoegaze, but a band of Title Fight’s tenacity means they have always stood out from the pack, and while this record isn’t always successful it does hit some serious heights on “Chlorine” and Trace me Onto You”

Bandcamp

10. Kamasi Washington: The Epic 

There was probably no more apt title for an album in 2015 than Kamasi Washington’s ‘The Epic’ because that is truly the only word to describe this three hour Jazz magnum-opus. Yet there is a stream full of vitality that runs right through this record to keep the listener more than engaged throughout it’s long playing time.

Kamasi Washington - The Rhythm Changes

Here’s to an excellent year in music, onto 2016!